Refrigerator



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. H. STARR E1- AL REFRIGERATOR Filed J'an, 4, 1935 ll| u 1 www@ 4? l/l//ll/ k, f "5J `x. IIHHIHIIIHHIIIIII n l x y. l

March 23, 1937.

lNvENTo Hag/naad H 5B agar ATTORN EY March 23, 1937. R. H. STARR ET AL2,074,870

- y REFRIGERATOR y Filed Jan. 4, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORSRayma/MH .57 rg, 00m/ire Ms 5:

Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR tion ofMissouri Application January 4, 1935, Serial No. 354

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to a doorconstruction for refrigerated display cases and has for its principalobjects to provide a door construction giving better access to theinterior of the case, to provide for semi-automatic operation of thedoor to and from closing position, to provide a door which does notinterfere with operation of an adjacent door or with location of shelvesor other accessories attached to the door side of the case, to provide adoor which, when in open position, does not interfere with the displayof merchandise in the case, and to protect the glass of the door when inopen position from direct effect of the refrigerating element in thecase.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide asubstantially balanced door construction to prevent slammingthereof whenmoving to and from closed position.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, ashereinafter pointed out, I have `provided improved details of structure,the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated display case equippedwith doors constructed in accordance with the present invention andshowing one of the doors in open position to permit access to theinterior of the case.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the display case on the line2-2, Fig. 1, showing the door in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a detail section through the door portion of the case on theline 3-3, Fig. 2.

` Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through the door and portion of thecase with the door in open position, the section being taken on the line4 4, Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the upper portion of the case similarto Fig. 2, but showing the door in open position.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the case, particularlyillustrating the door stops and showing the door in open position.

` Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line '1 -l, Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of one set of door tracksparticularly illustrating their suspension from the shelf supportingrack,

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a refrigerated displaycase including a transparent paneledfront wall 2, a rear wall 3 having a series of door openings 4, endwalls 5 and E, and a counter top 1. In the illustrated instance, theupper portion of the front l and rear walls converges toward the countertop (Cl. S12-189) l to promote visibility and access to the merchandiseon display in the case. Suspended or otherwise supported below the top Iis a conventional refrigerant expansion element 8 to give the desiredrefrigerating effect within the case. 5

Supported Within the case at a point substantially midway the height ofthe door openings is a shelf supporting rack including front and rearangles 9 and I0 connected at points between the door openings by pairsof spaced angle bars II 10 and I2 to form a substantial rectangularsupport for a tray I3 upon which merchandise is displayed within theview of a customer through the transparent panels 2.

To promote visibility of the merchandise, the 15 support thus describedis preferably inclined downwardly toward the panels 2 and is` bracedfrom the rear of the case by rods I4 as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and8. Located below the shelf supporting frame in substantial alignmentwith 20 the lower edges of the door openings is a second display shelfI5 which is accessible through the lower portion of the door openingsand visible through the panels 2.

The construction thus far described is repre- 25 sentative of aconventional type display case to illustrate my improved doorconstruction and mounting as now to be described.

In the illustrated instance, the door openings 4 are of rectangularshape and include upper and 30 lower jambs lG-Il and side jambs Ill-I3forming an integral part of the case and in which the doors 2U aremounted.

The doors 20 comprise upper and lower rails 2| and 22 connected by endstiles 23 and 24 to form 35 a frame of suitable dimensions to be snuglyreceived within the door openings 4. The stiles and rails thus describedcarry a series of spaced transparent panels 25 and 26 having their edgessealed to the inner edges of the rails and stiles by 40 means of stops2l as in conventional refrigerator door construction. Projecting fromthe edge face 23 of the stiles 23 and 24 in downward spaced relationwith the center of the door are studs 29 and 3l] mounting rollers 3l and32 on which the 45 doors are trunnioned for swinging and slidingmovement under the shelf supporting frame.

Formed in the side jambs I8 and I9 of the case in line with the rollersare rectangular grooves 33 of suicient depth to accommodate the width of50 the rollers and of suitable height to accommodate the diameter of therollers and an end of the roller tracks 34 and 35 that are supportedtherein. The tracks 34 and 35 comprise angle members having verticalflanges 36 to form rails on which .55

frs

the rollers operate, and horizontal flanges 31 arranged with the outerends thereof seating in the bottom of the grooves 33. The opposite endsof the tracks are suspended by hangers 38 attached to the inner ends ofbars 39 which, in turn, are fastened to the shelf support between thepairs of angles I l and I 2 as best illustrated in Fig. 8.

The hangers 38 between adjacent doors include depending leg portions 40and 4I having the lower ends 42 thereof welded or otherwise secured tothe vertical flanges of the angles to cooperate with the groovedportions of the jarnbs in rigidly supporting the tracks in suspendedspaced relation with the shelf rack Il. The hangers 43 at the ends ofthe case have but a single leg sincey it is obvious that they need tosupport only a single track. The hangers 38 areof sufficient length tosupport the inner ends of the tracks at a lower level than their outerends so that the rails are inclined to provide gravity operation of thedoors when they are being moved to open position.

In order to retain the door rollers on the tracks and prevent lateralmovement of the doors, the rollers are preferably provided with spacedside anges 44 and 45 that engage opposite sides of the rails as bestshown in Fig. 4.

The inner ends of the tracks are also provided with stops 46 that areattached to and project upwardly from the vertical flanges of the railsto engage the rollers and stop movement of the door on the track whenthe doors are completely opened, as hereinafter described. The oppositeends of the tracks are provided with stops 41 comprising blocks 48fitted into the outer ends of the grooves 33.

When the doors are in closed position within the door openings, therollers form trunnions about which the upper and lower portions of thedoors swing at the time the door is moved to and from closing position.For example, the upper rail 2| of the door swings outwardly anddownwardly and the lower rail 22 swings inwardly and upwardly until thedoor is in parallel relation with the tracks at which time the weight ofthe door causes movement thereof down the tracks until the rollersengage with the stops 46.

To seal the side edges of the door in the opening, the inner sides ofthe jambs are provided above the rollers with stops 49 extending from aplane tangential to the upper portion of the rollers to the top jamb I6and along the top jamb as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The outerside of the door opening is provided with similar stops 50 extendingfrom the bottom of the tracks and across the lower jamb l1 to engage thelower portion of the door. In order to further enhance the seal of thedoor in the opening, the outer side thereof above the rollers ispreferably provided with a sealing strip 5l having contact with theadjacent faces of the door jambs as shown in Fig. 3.

To facilitate opening and closing of the doors, the upper rails 2| areprovided with suitable handles 52. A block 54 is attached to the stilesof the door adjacent the grooves to assist in closing the space betweenthe terminal ends of the door stops. Filler blocks 55 are also insertedbetween rail flanges 36 of the tracks and the bottomsy of the grooves toretard leakage through the door.

In operating one of the doors constructed and assembled as described,the operator grasps the handle 52 to swing the upper portion of the dooroutwardly and downwardly in an arc until that portion of the door passesthe vertical plane extending through the axis of the rollers. Then, dueto the preponderating weight at the upper part of the door, the doorcontinues to swing outwardly until the lower rail 22 engages thehorizontal flanges 53 of the angles Il and l2. Then, due to theinclination of the tracks the door will roll along the tracks by gravityuntil the rollers engage the stops 46 and into the position as shown inFig. 5. In this position, the door is located directly under the shelfrack and does not interfere with access to either of the upper or lowershelves, nor does it interfere with the view of the customer ormerchant. The shelf also affords protection of the glass to directeffect of the refrigerating element. Attention is also called to thefact that by swinging the top of the door outwardly and the bottom ofthe door inwardly, the outer or warm glass panel 25 is at the bottom andis not apt to be chilled by direct contact of the air currentscirculating around the expansion element 8. 'I'hen when the door ismoved to closed position, formation of moisture on the outer surface isreduced to a minimum.

To close the door, the operator will grasp the handle 52 to withdraw thedoor causing the rollers to move along the track until engaged by thestop blocks 48 at the outer ends of the tracks.

The door is then in line with the opening and ready to 'be swung toclosed position by lifting on the upper rail 2| and swinging it towardthe upper jamb of the opening. As soon as the upper portion of the doorhas passed the vertical plane of the roller axis, the door will be movedby gravity to seating engagement with the stops 49 and 50.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that due to the fact that the doorsswing within the case, they are not in the way of removal of themerchandise from the shelves, nor do they interfere with operation ofadjacent doors, or with the shelves I3, or other accessories attached tothe rear of the case.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A refrigerating cabinet having a rectangular shaped door opening andprovided with a cooling element spaced from one horizontal edge of thedoor opening, a door normally closing said opening and having inner andouter panels, trunnions on opposite side edges of the door, trunnionguides in the cabinet, and means supporting the trunf nions for pivotingthe door whereby the horizontal edge adjacent the cooling element swingsoutwardly and the opposite edge inwardly to alignment with the plane ofsaid guides for sliding support thereon and to present the inner panelto direct contact with the cold air circulating about the coolingelement and the outer panel out of direct contact with said cold airwhen the door is opened and slid into the cabinet on said guides.

2. In a ease having a wall provided with door jambs forming a dooropening and having a shelf extending across the opening at a pointintermediate top and bottom sides of the opening and having groovesextending across the faces of said jambs, a door for said opening,trunnions mounted on the door and positioned within said grooves whenVthe door is closed and whereon the door pivots to bring the inner sidethereof below the plane of the shelf, tracks for said trunnions havingone of their ends mounted in said grooves, and brackets suspending theother ends of the tracks to support the door below said shelf when thetrunnions are moved along said tracks.

3. In a case having a Wall provided with a door opening, a door for theopening, trunnions carried on the door below the horizontal center lineof said door to form pivots on which the door is adapted to swing forbringing the inner side of the door uppermost, tracks extendinglaterally into the case for mounting the trunnions to guide the doorduring movement to and from open position, stops in said opening forengaging the inner side of the door above said tracks, and stops l0engaging the outer side of the door below said tracks.

4. In a case having a Wall provided with a door opening, door guidemeans supported within the case at a point intermediate the top andbottom 15 sides of the opening, a door for closing said opening, rollerscarried on the sides of the door whereon the door is adapted to swing tobring the inner side of the door uppermost and to provide for rollingsupport of the door on said guide means, upper and lower stops mountedat the sides of the door opening to respectively engage the inner andouter faces of the door, said upper and lower stops being spaced apartat said door guide means n to form passageways for the door when thedoor is moved on said guide means, and means on the door covering saidpassageways when the door is closed.

CLARENCE MASTERS. RAYMOND H. STARR.

